Shoe



May 15,1926. 1,582,958.`

J. H. BALLARD Y SHOE Filed Sept. 19, 1924 f. z A ".11: 111111711111111l W Patented May 4, 1926.

J'AlsIEEv BALLARD, OF MAPLEWO'OJ, MISSOURI, ASSGMOR TO 'CEADDCK SHOE.'

Application led September19,'19251;` Seral'iNo. '7'3,'695.k

fo all fio/rom t may concern:

Be it known thatl, Janne H. BALLARD, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Maplewood, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Shoes, of Which the following .is -a specification, suoli as will enable others skilled in 'they art to which it appertains to make and use the saine.

My invention relates to slices and consists in a novel shoe sole structure.

The main object of my invention is to improve the appearance of a shoe by reducing the thickness of the edge of the sole Without eliminating certain steps in 'manufacturing which have la tendency to'thicken the edge f of the sole and Without affecting the quality of the sole from the standpoint of durability'. l

My invention is particularly adapted to be applied to a stitch-down slice, they lasting operation in which requiresthe use of a socalled middlevsole which heretofore has contributed to the thickness of the edge of the shoe sole but in my improved shoe is so shaped along its edge that the latter is not apparent in the completed shoe.

rlhese general objects and other detail objects as Will appear from an inspection of my disclosure are secured by the method and product described below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure l is a side elevation of a portion of a rougli-rounding machine adapted to also bevel the edge of the middle sole during the rough-rounding operation and in this drawing a section through a shoe being operated upon is indicated.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the tool used to bevel the middle sole.

Figure 3 is a transverse section through the vamp of a shoe and last before the same is operated upon by themachine illustrated in Figure l.

Figure 4 is a similar section after the operation.

Figure 5 is a similar section ofter the outer sole has been stitched to the shoe.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the completed shoe.

In the drawings, l indicates the last and 2 the upper of a shoe drawn over the last and turned outwardly at 3 Where it is stapled or otherwise secured to a light middle sole et at the end ofthelasting operations. It is to be understood that the upper may be providedivith a lining' and with suitable reinforcing pieces,=if desired, the saine being omittedfrom thedrawings avoidv confusion.

Afterl the application vofv the middle solo to the upper during the lasting operation` the shoe] is passed-through the machiney indicated in Figure l', the guide 5 engagingV the vertical side of the upper and determining 'the Width of the out* turned portion in the completed shoe. lt Will beunderstood that the knifeY 6 reciprocates in the usual manner and cuts through the middle sole and upper to form the ycontour of the sole as the latter'is fed through the macl1ine.- At the side lof .knife G is the beveling knife 7 set inra block 8 which forms a support for the middle sole as it moves past knife' 7. The middle sole and the out-turned portion 3 of the upper are held against block 8 by the vertical face of guide 5 and it Will be understood that the parts referred to are provided with any ordina-ry adjusting screws orother adujusting elements so that,-as-the shoe leaves the machine, the edgeV of the middle sole is beveledl from a point adjacent the staples 9 to a feather edge adjacent the outer edge of upper portion 3 produced by the rough-rounding knife 6.

In passing the shoe through the roughrounding and beveling' machine, the operation Will be started at a point adjacent the shoe heel and will proceed therefrom forwardly to the front of the shoe and rearwardly to a similar point adjacent the heel on the opposite side of the shoe so that only the shank, sole and toe portions of the middle sole are beveled, leaving the heel portion of uniform thickness at its edge. The beveled portion will merge into the untouched or square portion adjacent the front of the heel.

After the above described operation, the Welt l0 and outer sole 11 will be stitched to the upper and middle sole in the usual man` ner and the pressure applied during this operation Will bring together the edges of the Welt, upper portion 3 and outer sole and smooth the same so as to produce an edge ci the completed sole in `vhich the normal thickness of the middle sole 4 has been eliminated as the feather edge of the middle sole Will not be apparent to the eye of the observer.

n Figure 6, illustrating the complete sole, I show lines indicating the meeting edges of the Welt and the upper and the upper and the sole, but it will be understood that these lines are not obvious in the shoe as manufactured due to the smoothing operation of the shoe stitcher and to the application of blaqking or enamel to the edge of t-he completed sole.

As middle soles used inr shoes of this type vary from tivo and one-half to four irons in thickness and as the total thickness of a shoe sole is about twelve or fifteen irons, it is obvious that the reduction in thickness of the edge of the shoe sole is about twenty per cent. rihis reduction produces a marked iinprovement in the neat appearance of the solo which improvement is especially1 desirable in the production of foot Wear for ladies and children,l Y

`While l have shown and described my invention as applied to a stitch-down shoe, it is obvious that the same may be applied to other types of shoes and l contemplate the use of niv invention on all kinds of footwear irrespective of vthe method of manufacture or of the details involved in addition to the features'described. Obviously, modifications in the method of manufacture may be made Without Vaffecting the finished product and l contemplate the inclusion ofrany variations in the method or shoe as are included in the scope of my invention YVas expressed in the ap pended claims.

claim: Y

l. ln a shoe, an upper, a middle sole having a beveled edge, means securing said upper to said middle sole, an outer sole, and

additional means for securing said middle sole to said outer sole.

2. In a shoe, an upper, a middle sole having a beveled edge, means securing said upper to said middle sole, a Welt, an outer sole, and additional means securing said middle sole to said outer sole and Welt. ci

3. ln a shoe, a middle sole of substantially uniform thickness throughout nearly all its Width but having a beveled edge, an uppci Tith its marginal portion turned outwardly and secured to said middle sole inside of the beveled portion of the latter, and an outer sole secured to said upper and the beveled portion of said middle sole.

4t. lnY a stitch-down shoe, a middle sole beveled to provide a feather edge, an upper with its marginal portion turned outwardly, securing elements through said middle sole and upper, an outer saale, a Welt, and additional securing elements through said Welt, Yupper, middle sole, and outer sole.

5. n a stitch-down shoe, a middle sole fbeveled to provide a featlieredge, an upper with its marginal portion turned outwardly, 

